Look Me Up When You Get There
by Blind Spot
Summary: What if Doc remembered extra plutonium and made it to Twin Pines 2010? FINISHED. (NOTE: A teeny bit was tacked onto the end of Chapter 7, but this story will have a continuation in another fic).
1. Escaping the Libyans

DISCLAIMER: I do not own _Back To The Future_ or its characters. If I did, well, I probably wouldn't be here right now.

NOTES: This is just a 'What-If' story. I like to imagine things that could've gone differently if just one or two things had happened. In this case, the Twin Pines timeline was ended after Marty went to 1955, yet Doc almost went to the future of it when he still could. That, itself, always filled me with curiosity, since we never actually had the chance to see it. I especially wonder what Biff, George & Lorraine would've turned out like.

~~~

October 26th, 1985

1:33 AM

Hill Valley, California

"Safe now. Everything is lead-lined," replied Emmett Brown to Marty McFly, who had been filming him with a JVC camcorder as Brown walked a few steps away from the DeLorean.

"Don't you lose those tapes now, we'll need that, for the record," Doc continued as he lightly kicked open a box and put the empty glass vile back in it. "I'll need extra plutonium to get back," said the typically energetic 65 year-old scientist before shutting the box closed yet again and opening the DeLorean's gull wing door to put the unused plutonium in the passenger seat.

Marty was just about to ask something when Doc turned back to get a shiny, slim silver briefcase right next to the plutonium box.

"I almost forgot my luggage. Who knows if they've got cotton underwear in the future? I'm allergic to all synthetics," he said as he opened the trunk of the sports car, precariously located at the front end, unlike most cars.

Marty was still trying to take this all in. "The future? So where ya goin'," asked his 17 year-old friend.

In a calm, yet casual voice, the man answered. "That's right, 25 years into the future. I've always dreamed of seeing the future, looking beyond my years. Seeing the progress of mankind." There was a little bit more wonder emphasized on the last sentences. Lightening up a bit, he continued, "I'll also be able to see who wins the next 25 World Series."

Marty had a realization. "Doc."

The man looked up and lightly said, "Hmm?"

Trying to sound as casual as possible, he asked something now on his mind. "Uh, look me up, when you get there."

As if it was as typical as running a daily errand, the scientist earnestly said, "Indeed I will. Roll it."

The teen again hit the record button on the 1984 video camera as his friend spoke directly into it, resting his right arm on the opened car door.

"I, Doctor Emmett Brown, am about to embark on an historic journey into the land of the yet to be discovered time. I intend to give a full report of it upon my return to the present time, which should be later this morning from your perspective."

He sat in the drivers seat, as Marty took his cue and moved to film him. He had to ask something. "Doc? You mean you're just gonna take off from here? What if the mall is open 24 hours or something by than?"

"Don't worry Marty, I plan to drive out to a deserted area before making my temporal displacement. I'm now setting my destination time for this date. October 26th, 2010. 6 AM. Hill Valley, California."

Marty was still a bit skeptical as Doc started the engine. He heard his 3 year-old, incredibly smart dog, Einstein, barking loudly from his parked van nearby. Both he and Marty could sense it was not an _I'm hungry_ or a _Pet me_ sort of bark. It was something serious.

Both turned to look and saw headlights turn on as a large, beat up van entered the parking lot, speeding up and screeching rubber as it did. Doc suddenly lost all the fire and spark in his eyes, as he suddenly got very afraid.

"Oh my God. They found me. I don't know how, but the Libyans found me!" His voiced raised, "Run for it, Marty!"

He now stepped on the gas, peeling rubber as he steered the sports car out of the lot at high speed and onto JFK Drive, as Marty looked on with shock and horror. He could faintly hear foreign yells and curses coming from the unknown vehicle as one guy stood up and started shooting at him with a machine gun.

"Holy shit! You bastards," he shouted, although knowing they wouldn't hear. He had been filming everything, too. As he looked in the distance, he could see that his friend had the apparent advantage over his pursuers. They headed down John F. Kennedy Drive, going south, where it would intersect Rout 395 soon.

_I hope you know what you're doing, Doc. Please don't let this be the last time I see you_, prayed Marty, as the two vehicles got further away, with the van falling further behind. He slowly turned and collected his skateboard and set off to walk home. He needed a minute to think over what had just happened, and wasn't really in the mood to skate.

Meanwhile, in the DeLorean, Doc thought about going back to the mall to pick up Marty and take him out of danger, and possibly take him with him.

Great Scott! I could never do that. That would only put the kid in more danger if something happens to me! What will I do now? If those blasted Libyans could've just waited five minutes longer to show up, I wouldn't be faced with the quandary I now am!

As the intersection of 395 approached, the scientist had a realization.

_The time machine! I could just go to the future and they'll never know what happened than!_

This thought hadn't come a moment too soon. He noticed the same guy get ready to shoot what looked to be a bow and arrow. The speedometer currently read 70 when he slowed down to make a daring left turn. It was a turn, which would likely cause an average car to overturn. Luckily there were no other vehicles on the road here. He gunned the engine with his head down. The highway headed up into the hills within a mile or two. He assumed there couldn't be too much of a difference on in that in the future.

He was now reaching 85, as the lights of town got further away and the DeLorean was engulfed in blue lights as it prepared to go through temporal displacement.

_Why couldn't my first time travel trip have come with a more pleasurable experience?_

The scientist held his breath as the car hit 88, and he was going to be in the year 2010. As it vanished in a flash of light, the Libyans couldn't believe it. They thought the scientist had pulled off a trick or something. As they turned left, their van skidded on the road, crossing the to the other side and toppling over in a ditch, crushing the roof and leaving it hanging upside down as all traces of Emmett Brown were now 25 years away.


	2. Arriving, Getting Acquainted

NOTE: My stupid computer doesn't seem to want to recognize italics anymore. So, I've replaced them with boldface. I've got no idea why that works.

Monday, October 26th, 2010.

6 AM.

Three sonic booms sounded alongside Route 395 on the edge of suburban Hill Valley, as Emmett Brown broke the time barrier.

In an instant, Doc saw something change, so he knew he had successfully traveled through time. **I've done it**_, _he thought, still sweating a bit, nervous of the Libyan situation that had brought him here. The light hadn't changed much – dawn was only very barely breaking – but something else had. There were now housing developments alongside the road.

It looked as if 395 still headed into the Northern California mountains from this point, but the edge of town was clearly extended by at least a couple miles. Since it was a Monday morning, and Doc figured people still worked at this time in the future, he worried more than a few residents or motorists might hear his arrival. As he slowed his speed quickly, to an average 30, something hit him as odd, though.

**I hardly can notice anybody traveling in land vehicles at this typically busy hour. Does the average workday begin at a later time, perhaps 11 O'clock, instead of 9? Did I just encounter an incredible stroke of luck?**

He heard some noises from above, however, they didn't sound like airplanes or helicopters. Curiously, he pulled over, exited the DeLorean and looked up, gasping as he saw something he never expected.

**Flying automobiles on a skybound highway. Unbelievable.**

The airbound highway didn't look extremely advanced. In fact, it looked to be unfinished and a bit undeveloped, such as lane markers not all set up. However, it was evidentially safe enough for light traffic.

Before he attracted attention from somewhere, especially with a now almost 30 year-old car, he decided to make a U-turn and head in the direction of town. He had to admit, he really wondered what his hometown would look like a quarter century later. Things had changed noticeably in between 1960 and 1985. Besides, technology was getting more advanced by the minute, so the scientist assumed 2010 would look even more different.

He had planned to check on a few things, such as history, medical advances, household stuff. Maybe the advancement of movies, sports, and especially rock music, for his young friend, Marty.

**Great Scott! Marty! I was supposed to check up on that kid! I nearly forgot in all the events in my past few minutes. Should I just go try to find him at this moment? He should remember, precisely, because we had that conversation before my departure. Than again, it's a possibility it slipped from his memory.**

Before arriving in central Hill Valley – where the Courthouse Square was – he would pass Lyon Estates, and he assumed at least Marty's parents would still live there, as they had since 1963. Well, he hoped Marty himself wouldn't still live there at 42 years old! However, it would be hard to look at the house and not think of Marty, nonetheless.

Within minutes, he came upon the Twin Pines Mall, the site of this experiment, one in which already seemed like quite a while ago. He could clearly see the trademark JC Penney still there, he even could make out the general location of the experiment he had just done. Well, at least to him, he had **just **done it.

He saw lights on and a lot of activity going on. The building now was 3 stories tall, and looked easily that many times bigger as it did in 1985. The road in the air he had just seen also had several ramps that spilled in and out of a huge parking garage that essentially served as the 4th level of the mall. It was combined with old-fashioned road vehicles, but even those looked fairly new to the time traveler. In fact, he thought he might've seen only one or two cars that could've been from the 80's, and even those were rare, and probably came from closer to the early 90's.

Something else caught his attention. The reason the mall was so crowded is that it was open on a Monday morning. This was confirmed by a large, glowing sign out front.

**Twin Pines Mall. Grand re-opening. Now open 24 hours. Hill County's busiest shopping center since 2006.**

**I don't believe it! When Marty said it would be open 24 hours, surely he was halfway joking, but the kid was right.**

After looking around at the outside, he noticed he was getting a few stares from shoppers. "Hey, yo! Got a tight car there, old dude!" shouted a young man walking on the street, who was probably in his teens or early 20s.

Doc didn't completely understand the futuristic slang, but knew enough of it to tell it was a compliment on the car. He said a quick thanks and waved, as he sped off, heading west on 395, toward Marty's house.

In 1985, there had been many shops on this street, and most of it was built up, but now even that seemed pretty deserted compared to now. Many of the same places were still there, but just with expansions. There were quite a few new shopping centers too. One place, called Best Buy appeared to sell electronics, but Emmett had never heard of it before. Before he could even ask the question, it was answered for him. A half mile down, there was a Circuit City in a brand new parking lot, so he knew they didn't replace the other electronics places. In 1985, this had been an empty space across the street from Lyon Estates, right near Jennifer Parker's housing development.

As Doc turned right, into Marty's neighborhood, that was still immediately recognizable. There was more noise in the area, newer cars on the street and in driveways, additions onto houses, but there were houses that you could look at and not have any idea you weren't still in the 1980's.

The scientist's heart beat a little faster as he pulled into the McFly's driveway, which seemed pretty deserted. There was a 1997 station wagon parked in the corner of the driveway, just beyond the garage that already looked like it had been around the block, quite literally.

**Only one vehicle? Quite strange. I recall his mother liking station wagons. Mr. McFly might be away if that's the case.**

He thought he'd ask Marty's parents where he was. It would still be a shock to see them older, but less of a shock than to see a teenage guy he spent many days with, transformed into his early 40s. As he opened the screen door, it flimsily glided open, seeming like it was ready to fall off its hinges any day. **They clearly haven't replaced that in 25 years** thought Doc, as he sighed to himself, thinking of all the stories Marty told him, complaining about how much of a loser his family was, especially his pushover father, George.

The rest of the house also seemed to be in similar disrepair. Not bad enough to attract attention or anything, but definitely not cared for, in comparison to many other houses in the neighborhood. The grass on their very small lawn was dying out. Weeds were everywhere. The driveway was cracked, and the paint job on the house was wearing off badly.

In fact, as he looked around, he realized the already run down 'new' car was the only thing he didn't recognize here. Everything else looked to be a logical future version of what it was in 1985. The sensation was already making him feel very uneasy. It was almost like he was visiting one of those houses he'd seen on television before, where there was a total mess everywhere, and it belonged to an elderly person whom had virtually no contact with the neighbors, and almost no one ever visited.

It was as if whoever lived here had simply given up on it.

**Should I be intruding on these premises? Perhaps this isn't the best course of action. Maybe I should telephone them, but their phone number might have changed. Besides, wouldn't they assume my present self already has contact with Marty?**

**GREAT SCOTT! My present self! I would be extremely old at 90 years, 7 months, and 25 days of age, to be exact. What if I have already passed naturally by now? I'll certainly have some explaining to do about that! Even if I haven't died, I would've likely aged even more, how might I explain that?**

The questions kept coming in his head.

**What if I turned around and went into town to find out about my own fate? No, I couldn't. I feel that looking myself up goes against my own beliefs. Besides, the risks are too great. I could run into other townsfolk and have to cover for myself. I don't even know the proper way to use the now modern technology. Besides, if I am going to discover about myself, I'd rather hear it from Marty.**

**If any unpleasantness comes up in my soon-to-be possible meeting with Marty's parents, I will simply disguise my voice and appearance to the best of my ability. That kid always said he wanted to move out of this place fast, and, theoretically, I suppose I can't blame him. Perhaps, if that's true, my advantage may be that his parents forgot my exact appearance over time.**

As he studied the old screen door, he quickly rang the doorbell, which still worked! Feeling a little guilty for being here so early, he knocked on the door lightly, as well. In a matter of seconds, he would find out about the future of his best friend's parents.


	3. Marty's Old House

6:15 AM.

Within seconds, the inventor heard slow footsteps, and the front door was opened.

"Yeah, whatever you're bothering me for this morning, it better be good! You're not another salesman, I hope!" shouted the unpleasant, slightly slurred female voice, which sounded like it was getting up in age.

Doc knew who it was. He steadied himself and talked in a low voice.

"Um, Mrs. McFly? I'm sorry to be a disturbance at this hour, but I felt it was of importance. Anyway, can you tell me where your son, Martin McFly can be found, or at least a phone number?" He realized calling him would actually be the better option. The older Marty seeing him face to face might be a bit of a shock, even if he **did** know it was coming.

"It's Ms. McFly now, and who the h*ll are you? You sound a little familiar, but I'm too tired to care."

He didn't know of any other older friends Marty had. Sure he had a few that were **a little** older, but no more than their mid to late 20s, and even they would still only be around 50 now – too young to be believable as Doc. He'd better tell the truth, but decided to speak softly (he did have a distinct, loud voice, after all) and walk slow, so as to make it seem that he could pass for 2010 Doc as well.

"I'm Marty's old friend, Emmett Brown. I'm sure you might remember me."

"Yeah, yeah, Brown, I do. I didn't like Marty spending all his time with you back than. I guess who cares now, though. I haven't seen you for a few years. Marty mentions you now and then, but I didn't know you lost touch."

Emmett took a second to grasp all his mom was saying. "Yes, well, how is he these days?"

"Could be better, but he's good enough. Look, I know you're going to ask if you can come in and call him, so just do it. I've still got old-fashioned touch tone phones, but he has these new video screen phones or whatever you call them."

As he was let in on another piece of technology and nodded an **okay**, Lorraine Baines McFly fully opened the also aging front door to let Doc in. He had to frown at what he saw next – she was a mess. She was 72, almost 73, but looked easily older. Not at death's door, but not in the best shape, either. Her hair was heavily graying, only a slight trace of its nice light brown remained. Her once pretty face was now lined and haggard looking. What really came close to breaking the scientist's heart was just how overall sad she looked.

Doc slowly walked in, noticing the house a bit more barren than when he'd been in it before. Some of the technology looked newer in comparison, but still much of it looked to be not too far past the 80's. He figured nothing in that house was from before 1995 or 2000. There was a TV and VCR in the living room, and some other electronics, as well as a couple couches and other household objects. So far, the interior of a 2010 house didn't look too different, but he knew he'd have to see more contemporary styles to judge that.

"Excuse me, may I ask something?"

Lorraine shrugged. "Well, I don't get too much company or visitors anymore, so yeah, fire away."

"I appear to be a bit behind on a few things. If you don't mind my inquiry, what did you mean that you're not a Missus anymore?"

"For sure, I thought Marty would've told you, but here goes. I divorced George back in 1994, a few years after the kids had all moved out. After almost 40 years of being with him, I just got so sick of his s**t! That guy just doesn't have any b*lls. Everything in life was always an obstacle and he'd complain, 'Oh, now, Lorraine, that might be difficult,' or 'What if something were to happen?' you know?" she said, doing a pale imitation of him.

Doc felt extremely sorry for her. "Listen Ms. McFly, we all have weaknesses in life. I just feel that George is in a shell. He's uninspired and he fears what others will think of him. I think there's more to him, he's just too uncertain of himself. Marty always used to tell me about the problems he had. Why couldn't his dad just ever pay attention to him, or stand up for himself?" After a pause, he asked, "Does he still live in the area?"

"Uh-huh. He's living with Dave in Grass Valley now, since those two always got along best, but he comes in to town a lot. We still talk, and deep down, I think I'll always love him, but I can't stand the thought of living with him for another second! I've actually been happier on my own. I've had a couple boyfriends, and have just been trying to catch up on the life I had taken away from me since I was 17, just because I felt sorry for the little coward! Marty and I get along much better, too. I used to get mad at him for having girlfriends, being in a rock band, and any little thing you can think of. I didn't really mean what I said, but I was just frustrated that I didn't have a life, so I guess I didn't want him to, either. George just depressed me, that's all. If I had stayed with him, I probably would've gone deeper into alcoholism and been dead by now."

Before too much time elapsed, he offered another condolence. "I'm very sorry for the events that transpired. You and George, evidentially, just had your differences."

"Thank you, Dr. Brown. Almost nobody ever pays attention to me anymore. Well, nobody except that lowlife Biff Tannen, still comes over here, asking if he can take me out to dinner or go somewhere with him. Last time, I had to throw a glass at the wall and break it just to get his ugly a** out of here."

Slowly but surely, but not on purpose, he was finding out a lot more about the future than he thought.

"Yes, I can concur, I never much cared for Biff myself," he decided to change the subject. "Now, would it be okay if I went into one of the bedrooms to phone Marty?"

Feeling considerably more comfortable with the 'stranger' than she had in the last 28 years, her voice warmed up a bit, and agreed. "Yes, you can even use Marty's old room. There's a phone in there, and his number is 555-8120. I'll be in the kitchen."

The scientist thanked her and went into his friend's former bedroom. He half expected it to look as it always did, but it was plain as a prison cell. Well, not really, but, compared to how he had always seen it, it sure was. For years, it had been easily the most happenin', hippest, coolest place in the house: Posters of girls, trucks, various rock artists were on the walls. Electric guitars, a skateboard, constant music, cool movies and more had once often filled this corner bedroom. Now, the only trace that a teenage musician had ever been in there were some teeny holes where posters or the like had been hung.

Now, all that was left were some boxes and an old chair sitting at a desk with a phone. It looked much more like a room in an old lady's house. The thought itself saddened Doc a bit more. However, he also felt a bit of irony and humor in the fact that the very place Marty had always answered his calls is now where he was **as he was calling Marty**.

~~~

Across town, 42 year-old Marty McFly was in his 3-bedroom Hilldale home. When it was completed in 1984, it was a really desirable place to live. In the past couple years, the houses had begun to age, and there was a slow wave of crime there, mostly spray painters, mailbox smashers, stuff like that.

Being the musician he was, he was strumming an electric guitar to the tune of Bruce Springsteen's "Cover Me," one of his favorites, while in the den as he got ready to go to work.

"**The times are tough now, just getting tougher! This whole world is rough, it's just getting rougher, cover me! Come on baby, cover me!**"

His enthusiastic, youthful rocking out was interrupted by the ringing of an old-fashioned phone. He still had a couple of those, since videophones were in their infancy and many people still had the old ones, mostly as teeny cell phones by now, though.

"D*mn! Just before the next verse. Oh well, it might be important, I better go get that," said Marty as he stopped the cassette and turned the stereo down – that looked surprisingly normal. In fact, it was a 1992 boombox that still worked! He kept that in his den, partly for sentimental value.

"Hello?"

One word was all it took. Doc almost certainly knew who it was. "Um, hello, is this Marty?"

"Yeah, sure is. Who's there?"

"Listen, sit down Marty," Doc began, still slightly disguising his voice. "Do you remember back on 1985, you asked me to look you up? It's me, Doc."

"Holy s**t! Y-you mean, you, from 1985? I just talked to you last night, I mean, you from this year."

Even the speaking pattern was similar to his old friend, just with the voice a little deeper and more seasoned with age. No one would ever mistake it as the same person, though. "That's right Marty. In fact, I happen to be calling from your former residence. I didn't know where else to go, for risk of some other people in town seeing my whereabouts, not knowing of my past 25 years."

"My house? So you seen mom? Is she feeling okay?"

"She told me a bit unhappily about the divorce from your father, and living alone. She seems okay, now."

Marty then wondered, "Yeah, I know. So, Doc, you haven't talked to dad yet?"

"No, this was the first destination I had upon arriving here. Listen, even though you told me to look you up, I hope this isn't a bother, but would you mind meeting me somewhere, or would my coming to your new residence be alright?"

"Sure, like I'd ever say no, Doc. I'm actually in Hilldale, but it's not quite as good as I thought before. It's 3793 Oakhurst Drive. Look, though, you'll have to do a good make believe for Jen & the kids. I never told anyone about the time machine. They'll get more than a little suspicious as to there being two of you here."

**So Marty ended up marrying Jennifer and having kids. He'll be glad to hear that.**

"Certainly. We can talk more when I arrive. I won't run into me from this year in town, will I?"

"You're actually in Sacramento this week, so I think we're cool. So, I guess I'll see you soon."

"Yes, I should be over there within 20 minutes. Goodbye," said Doc as he hung up, making sure Lorraine didn't hear the conversation! He made his way out to the living room, where Lorraine was making what looked to be a little breakfast.

"Excuse me, Lorraine? I just wanted to thank you for letting me here. I'm on my way to see Marty, now."

"Oh, Mr. Brown, I'm just making breakfast, and I hate being alone. You could stay here for awhile and call him back."

He was shocked and delighted at what he saw. Lorraine actually now seemed much happier and more agreeable than she did a few minutes ago, or even 30 years ago. It was as if she turned into a whole different person. There was a spark to her. The scientist compared this to what he usually recalled, when sometimes she would get mad at him calling Marty at a late hour, and the like. He got a little sad at the idea of leaving so soon. He figured Lorraine was just extremely happy to have someone else she could talk with and who would pay attention to her, as her ex-husband obviously didn't.

"Well, I should go visit Marty before he goes to work. But, it's been nice talking with you. I suppose I could come back at a later time."

"Okay, just try to promise me you will."

Now knowing he would still be alive this year, he prayed he would remember it in 25 years. What an acting job he would have to do than. "Definitely, I'll see you shortly."

As Marty's mother shut the door behind him, he headed back to the DeLorean feeling a lot better than he did when he got here. He would pass the Courthouse Square on the way to Hilldale, so he was excited to see how the town looked.


	4. Courthouse Square and More

October 26th, 2010.

6:30 AM.

Emmett Brown left his friend's old house with more than enough information. In the now more noticeable twilight, he climbed back into his DeLorean time machine, taking one more look at the sad state of the house.

The drive to Hilldale would still be a few miles. He had promised to visit Marty, but because he'd pass through the heart of town, he couldn't help but look around. In the meantime, he was still in shock of hearing what Lorraine had told him.

**That was certainly nothing my own imagination would've pictured. I suppose you can't live in a loveless marriage forever, though. It's nice to hear that she and Marty now get along well. I vividly recall him letting me know on many occasions how strict and mean she was.******

These thoughts were interrupted as he accidentally ran the stop sign at the end of Lyon Estates and turned right, at almost 25 MPH.

"Hey! Look out! You crazy drunk driver in your old sportscar!" cried a passerby crossing the street as he stopped in time. It was the bum, Red Jr. now 66 years old.

The scientist didn't hear, though, partly because the windows were tightly rolled up and he was lost in thought. He continued west, down the street that would turn into Route 395. It was now a bit busier than before, but still fairly clear on the roads. Morning shoppers were out, as were more flying cars on the newly built air road.

At that moment, he saw a small ramp leading from the Best Buy he passed earlier, going up to the road. A sign said: **Hill County Skyway. Extensions to Los Angeles. Projected date: 2012.**

**A skyway! How fascinating. Now I know its proper name.******

Before 10 minutes had passed, he entered the Courthouse Square. It was looking a lot busier than in 1985, when Doc had last seen it. Many businesses that had moved to the Twin Pines Mall had closed down. As of now, it looked as if the two places were both bustling separately.

Many old buildings seemed to be getting a makeover. The theatre directly in the front of town was installing a holographic projector, and being expanded to two stories. The Statler Toyota car dealership now sold Pontiacs.

**At least road cars are still in some demand**, thought Doc.

Just a bit further down Hill Street was something that caught his attention. The spot where Lou's Aerobics had stood in 1985, was now called The Café 80's.

**Marty would be amused by this revelation. Products from the 1980's are already old enough to be nostalgic. That might make the kid feel old.******

Just out of curiosity, Doc decided to park the car on the empty sidewalk and have a look inside. For all the businesses in town, the town was still relatively quiet. It was busier than the area by the old mall, though. Locking the doors securely, he wanted to have a quick look around.

Inside, he saw what looked to be a larger collection of everything Marty had in his room. A guitar, autographed by Eddie Van Halen hung on the wall. A set of Pac Man video game machines stood where the old phone used to be at Lou's. Old-fashioned televisions were available at every table, with selections of **The Cosby Show, Punky Brewster, Cheers, Roseanne**, the latter of which sounded unfamiliar to Doc. Most of all, he noticed **Family Ties** playing at a booth. The show starred Michael A. Fox, whom Marty liked, and often joked how closely he resembled.

Behind the counter, a young black guy emerged happily.

"Hey there, fella! Welcome to the Café 80's, can I get you anything now, or are ya just enjoying this great old stuff we've got here?"

The kid seemed oddly familiar, but he didn't want to press or know too much. "Um, yes, how are you? I think I'll just get some buttermilk pancakes and a coffee!"

"Sure! Coffee, huh? That ain't surprising, figurin' as this place was a Starbucks for 15 years, and just closed down last year. Man, that place held memories for me. It opened when I was only a year old. I miss that Internet Café!"

**Starbucks? Internet Café?** thought Doc. **Wait, according to my calculations, it would've still not opened until 1994! I'm hearing old stories about an already futuristic place. I wonder what this Internet is.**

As the assistant busboy, 17 year-old Goldie Wilson III, went into the kitchen to tell his staff about the order, he came back out to talk to the stranger.

"Sir, do you want to listen to our radio station? All '80s all the time! Even though all of it came out way before me, I really think it's better than most of the sh**ty music comin' out today."

Doc was fairly hip on 1980's music for a man of his age, although that was, in a large part, due to Marty. He wasn't sure if he could recognize an unfamiliar song from a song in the second half of the decade that just hadn't come out yet. However, he agreed.

"Okay, I'll listen. This decade was even after my time. I could do some catching up. Thank you Mr-"

"Wilson. But, you can call me Goldie, just like my father and my grandpa."

As Goldie went to check on Doc's food, the time traveler was confused by the futuristic radio. Just seeing a tiny Power button, he turned it on, to hear a somewhat familiar, light New Wave-y beat, almost instantly before speaking began.

"**Hill County's only Internet radio. All 80's all the time! Thompson Twins, sayin' 'Hold Me Now.' 6:48 this morning, and we continue with Foreigner's Lou Gramm, and his solo hit, 'Midnight Blue.''**"

Doc turned it down, but continued to listen. He knew of Foreigner, but didn't recall Marty ever mentioning their singer doing a solo album, and this song didn't sound familiar. He assumed this must've been a future hit, but it sounded pretty much the same as the decade's other music.

Within minutes, Goldie returned with his food.

"All fresh for ya."

"Why, thank you Goldie." As he tried to brainstorm a way to ask about the future without making it sound too suspicious or unknown. "Now, if I may ask a few random questions. What precisely did you mean about the music of today not being very good. Forgive me, but I'm a bit behind the times," he said, assuming his age worked to his advantage in this case.

"Well, it just ain't much too it anymore. Radio formats and all the styles are pretty narrow and strict. It's better than it was 10 years ago, though. Rap music is still goin', but it's not all about gangsters anymore. It's got more of a dance beat to it, but it's still dark. The pop/punk bands like Blink 182 all sort of faded away a few years back. It's a little more okay to like rock and roll now, but most of it still sounds the same. It's either all angry, or it's comin' off TV or American Idol 8 or somethin', ya know? The Britneys of the world are still big, though! That sure hasn't changed nothin' since 1999!"

This was all starting to go way over Doc's head. He figured that was as much as he could take in.

"I can certainly see your point of view. What you said makes sense. You're quite the historian. It's not hard to vision why you would find this job enjoyable."

"Yeah. Well, I've been here since I graduated high school this year, ahead of the others. You know, my grandpa worked at this place when it was called Lou's Café, I think. That was in the mid 1950's when he was just a little older than me now. I'm gonna stay here until I do some more school and get a job workin' on cars, that's what grandpa thinks I should. I'd always been into these hover-conversions people started getting recently." His lighthearted tone dropped a little, as he confessed, "Besides, I don't think there's gonna be no need for old-fashioned workers like me in a few years. Not with all this technology. People could just order by voice command or something."

Doc was impressed. "Well, I have no doubt in you. You're grandfather was such a great mayor, and I'm simply amazed by flying automobiles, too. With a history as interesting as yours, you'll be a successful young man."

"I sure hope so! What did you say your name was?"

**Uh-oh. It's now confirmed the other me is alive. Even though Goldie the 3rd hasn't existed long enough to know of me prior to this, I cannot use my real name. Chances are he's heard of me anyway, even if I had already passed away.**

"Herschel Von Braun," he said, giving the name of his father, and the family's surname prior to 1908.

"Mr. Van Braun, I hope to see ya soon. These counters, they're lookin' dirty, and I wanna get promoted here, so I'm gonna clean up this place!"

Doc shook his hand, as the ex-mayor's grandson took his remaining tray of food and went his own way. Doc was just leaving when he heard an unmistakable voice getting louder behind him.

"McFly, are you trying to tell me you won't clean my house this afternoon! What kind of plans do you have that are so important, you'll try to blow me off again, hmm?"

Doc didn't need any kind of educated guess or identification to know who this was. He ducked out of sight, standing next to his DeLorean to see 72 year-old Biff Tannen walking around the corner with George McFly! Now, Tannen walked with a slight hunch and his face was lining, but that hardly mattered. This was still clearly not a guy most people would want to mess with!

George looked plainly worn out by all this. He stopped dying his hair along the line, letting it gray its natural color. Other than that, he actually was in okay physical shape for his age, although he was slowing down a bit.

He answered Biff as he usually did. "Biff, I didn't mean to imply that. All I meant was I don't really know how to operate your new mower, and I was worried I might get it wrong."

The still athletic Biff lightly grabbed George by his shirt collar as they walked. "Don't give me that! You're not dumb. If that one don't work, do it with the old-fashioned one. And any poor scumbag knows how to clean windows and vacuum! I've got a lady friend I met coming over and I want the place looking nice for her. A nice, young 30-something girl, so you better not mess the job up. If I was you, I'd make like an old pair of pants and get going!"

**I believe the saying goes 'Make like an old pair of pants and split,' Tannen!**

"Well, I suppose I'll get over there now, Biff. You said you wanted it by 2 O'clock, right?"

At this moment, a young teenager who also struck the scientist as familiar, came up from behind the two, and staying near Biff. In a loud, obnoxious voice, he said, "Hey, you're a lobo dorkhead! Listen to my gramps!"

Biff smiled a teeny bit as he turned to the boy. "Relax Griff, I know what I'm doing, but, thanks. Now, I see some little twerp across the street. See if you can collect some lunch money from him."

"Yeah! Thanks grandpa!" said 13 year-old Griff as he ran and approached the lone kid, shouting, "Don't you think about moving!" Luckily for him, the classmate overheard, and took off on a small floating board before he could be beaten up.

"Alright, punk! You won this time, but you better be lookin' ahead of you when you walk at school today!" the young bully said, echoing what one of his ancestors would later say, as well as getting another saying wrong.

Meanwhile, George had to ask a question. "Uh, Biff, why do you let your grandson beat some kid up for money or something else?"

"Hello! Hello, anybody home?" he said again. "Think McFly, think! He's gotta get it from somewhere." As they approached the DeLorean, his attention was distracted. "Look at this, McFly! I haven't seen a DeLorean in over 20 years. I wonder who's got this thing. Didn't that crazy old guy Doc Brown have one of these?"

"Oh, yeah. I believe so. These cars are classics now, I'm surprised to see it out here," George said, glad to have a sidetracked Biff.

Great Scott! I strongly hope they don't see me! he thought, ducking down into the seat and bending down over the steering wheel temporarily. He decided not to have any more close calls and possibly get confused for his even older self, so he slipped the keys into the ignition and peeled out - heading towards Hilldale - before Biff could see who it was.

"What the h**l?" shouted Biff. "Wonder why the schmuck took off like that."

"I don't know, but I'll run on over to your place and get all that taken care of."

As he took off down the street, heading the other way, Biff said, "I'll see you at 2, McFly!"

Griff returned at that moment. "Ahh, the ziphead took off before I could pound 'im."

Obviously proud of his grandson, Biff just said, "Know what you mean, but don't worry, kid. I'm sure you and your friends can catch some little punk today to make up for it."

"Yeah. Hey, haven't you bullied that McFly since you guys were my age?"

"Even younger. There's something about all those McFlys, it seems," said the aging man as they got into his car to drop Griff off at school.


	5. Finding Marty

6:45 AM.

Emmett drove off, amazed at how much of a close call that was. Even though Biff Tannen was now in his 70's, Doc still didn't look forward to having to face him, and the possibility of him getting angry. He now could see what Lorraine meant about her ex-husband. It did sadden Doc a bit to see George McFly still letting Biff walk all over him. Yet again, he wasn't surprised from what he'd heard from Marty, and how he'd seen the man himself before.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when he noticed a sight that surprised him, and somehow he failed to notice on his way in: the Courthouse itself! That clock was **still** broken, so obviously the efforts by the townspeople worked. More than that, though, was that the dirty parking lot that had been there since the 1970s was now gone – being replaced by what looked to be an artificial lake! It was dry, but was cordoned off, so it obviously would be finished soon.

**Unbelievable. A pond by the old Courthouse. I suppose in the future, downtown activity will be compete with suburban growth **thought the scientist as he drove past, heading west, toward his friend's future home.

Not unlike the areas by the Twin Pines Mall, and Lyon Estates, the western part of Hill Valley was considerably busier than a quarter century ago. Route 395 had once been a two-lane highway running through, and out of town, heading west to Grass Valley. Now, it was expanded to 4 lanes with small on and off ramps. One thing that had never changed was the speed limit was still 35 MPH through town!

The morning rush hour seemed to be in full force now, but even that was comparatively light compared to Doc's home time. It was split between the county skyway and the road. In the modern day, he assumed certain technology allowed more people to work from home, such as that Internet that young Goldie Wilson III was referring to.

During the 20-minute drive over, Doc continued to reflect on what had changed around town, and what hadn't. He had to admit, even though it wasn't good to know too much about your own future, he was fascinated by the changes, and even more so that he would live to naturally see them taking place.

Marty wasn't kidding about Hilldale. As the scientist pulled off the main road, turning right, into the sub-street, he could see wear and tear on the neighborhood. Over time he supposed it wasn't that much, but to see it 25 years later in a bang, it seemed to be. The bright pink and white paint on some of the houses needed to be redone. There was starting to be dumpsters in the street and garbage. He even noticed a few bums walking around. The houses themselves looked better than Lorraine's, but the neighborhood wasn't as good as Lyon Estates, especially considering it was **the** place to live in 1985. Still, it wasn't as bad as he'd feared.

Slowing down, he noticed a 3793 across the street. A 2004 Toyota pickup truck, and another 1980's car – what Doc recognized as a near mint condition '83 red Supra sat on the large driveway. He recognized both as being favorites of his friend. That fact itself would make the DeLorean seem far less out of place here in 2010.

Turning left and parking on the end of the driveway, he slowly approached the door, feeling a little less nervous than he had with Lorraine. At least he knew a bit more about himself and his surroundings now. He could only hope Marty himself would answer the door. If he knew Doc was visiting, no doubt he would be. Than again, if not much had changed, Marty could've easily decided to take a nap or gotten involved in something else, losing all track of time. If an older version of Jennifer opened, that would at least be okay. She was someone he knew as well, but she apparently still didn't know about the time machine. What really concerned him was if 'the kids' were to answer, as Marty said they had. What would he say then?

**Take a bit of relaxation time, Brown. If you figured out a way to travel through the barrier of time, surely you can discover a way take control of this situation on your hands.**

Noticing a large, round and flat button on the side of the door, he naturally assumed it was the doorbell. He tried it. Soon a computerized voice spoke back to him, momentarily startling him.

**Access denied. Print not recognized. This home has the following occupants: McFly, Marty Sr.; Parker-McFly, Jennifer; McFly, Marty Jr.; McFly, Marlene.**

Possibly doorbells didn't exist in the future! He decided to do the old-fashioned thing and knock. He concluded not to mess with any more futuristic technology without some guidance. He had to wonder if a time traveler from 1960 had suddenly appeared in 1985, how confused would they be?

Within 20 seconds, the knobless door opened from the other side and Doc need not guess who it was.

"Hey, Doc. God, it's nice to see you!"

"The feeling is mutual, Marty," he said as the two men shook hands comfortably.

"Won't you come in?" older Marty happily suggested, but slipped outside to quietly give Doc some advice. "Just one thing, though. You've gotta pretend you're the you of this time. Jen & the kids know you already, not like I do, but still. You've gotta act like you're 90. Walk slower or something."

"Very well, Marty. I certainly wouldn't want any questions about my being younger," said Doc as he stepped inside the suburban house, which looked considerably better furnished than his mom's house. A mix of current and past technology sat around the place. It was nostalgic and current. A flat TV screen hung in the living room, along with cases of what appeared to be called DVD's. Labels on them consisted of home movies, old TV shows and the like. He assumed there was now a way to copy videotapes to a disk.

"Nice looking, wouldn't you say? If me from 1985 was here now, he'd love a lot of this," replied Marty in a casual business shirt and slacks, as he led his friend into the kitchen. Doc saw a familiar face out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey Jen, Doc's here," announced Marty.

The soon-to-be 42 year-old Jennifer Jane Parker-McFly (on the 29th) looked up from the newspaper she was reading at the breakfast table. She looked fairly close to how she had in 1985, and could probably pass for 32.

"Hello, Doc. It's been awhile since you visited. Is everything going okay with you?" she asked friendly.

"Umm, definitely so, Jennifer. I suppose I've just been a bit carried away with daily life. It's great to see you at this age, err, I mean at this time," he said, remembering to correct himself. He also made a halfway decent effort to disguise his voice, making it sound more 'old'.

"Yeah. From what I understand, you and Marty haven't been talking as much in the last few years. I know you guys are still like peas in a pot, but I guess it's not like when he was 17 and had all the time to go visit you everyday. Besides, you're probably enjoying your married life anyways, huh?"

**Great Scott! Should I have truly begun this conversation? A lesser-prepared man could faint at this realization! I actually get married after the age of 65, and still am as such an old man!**

As the scientist stood there pale as a ghost, the now middle-aged woman looked slightly confused. "Doc, you okay? You look like you've never hear that before!" Jennifer said with a slight giggle, sounding even more like her past self.

"Oh, no, it is. I'm just reflecting on how unusual it is for a man of my age to be married so late in life."

Marty, who was overhearing this whole thing, didn't want Doc to find out too much before he could be prepared. "Hey. Doc and me are gonna go catch up on a few things. If you need me, we'll be in the den."

"Oh, okay sweetie, but don't you want breakfast first? And I've still gotta wake Marty up. You know how he oversleeps worse than you ever did!"

"Thanks, but I can get something later on. Look, if you're late to open the salon, feel free to go, babe. Marty & Marlene can get ready for school on their own, they're big enough now," he said teasingly.

"I guess that's fair. See ya this evening. Bye bye, Doc. I'll let you two have your guy time together, hope to see you soon."

"You too, Jennifer. Have a nice day at work."

As Marty's longtime girlfriend, now wife, waved goodbye and headed out of the house, Brown hoped to find out more answers than questions about his life.


	6. Getting Some Answers

October 26th, 2010.

7:15 AM.

Upstairs in the 2010 McFly home, 13 year-old Marlene crept into an upstairs bedroom, belonging to her brother, Marty Junior. She had on some old skater clothes from the early 90's that she thought were retro and cool. She also carried a large, self-zipping backpack in hand, as she approached her 12 year-old sibling.

"Marty! Get up, we gotta go to school, you lazy ziphead! Stop lying in bed, you're gonna make us late!" she demanded, lightly kicking him with her foot.

"Ahhh! Go away, 'Lene! You're worse than mom!" the barely preteen snapped in a whiny voice.

"No I am not! Besides, you're always doing this. Why do I have to wake you up like you're still 5 years old or something?" she said, as she looked down and quickly yanked the covers off his bed, as he grumbled loudly.

Much like his father, he had the habit of falling asleep fully dressed, he now had a red jacket on which was at least a size too big for him, as well as faded dark blue Calvin Klein jeans with the pockets turned inside out. That was a brand new trend he was trying out for the first time. His hair was standing straight up, too. Basically he was a messier and unconfident version of Marty 30 years earlier. He took after his grandfather, George, in traits, too.

"See, I knew you were just doing that on purpose, bojo! Now let's go before the bus gets here," she said forcefully. Even though they were just a year apart, as far as maturity went, they might as well have been 10. The old adage about girls maturing faster would definitely fit here! He grabbed a few things by his nightstand as he followed his sister downstairs.

"Oh, hey there, Doc! Nice to see ya again," Marlene called out as she gave the inventor a little hug, which he soon accepted.

**I must not only be close with Marty, but his entire family. That's very nice** he thought sincerely.

"Oh, yeah Doc, I, umm, hey," called MJ as he hurried down the stairs, nearly tripping on the stairs before grabbing the rail for support.

"Morning, you two! Hey, Junior, you got lunch money, right?" his father asked, assuming he knew the answer already.

"Yeah, but I'm gonna have to hide it really good so Griff and his dumb friends don't jump me and take it," MJ said in a tone much like that of George. He was more wimpy in a trying-too-hard-to-be-cool sense, as opposed to a nerdy wimp, but cowardly nonetheless.

Older Marty's usually jovial, cool and joking nature turned a bit serious as he looked at his son. "Hey, listen Marty, don't let him control what you do. I'm telling you, if he messes with you, take a swing at him. Don't go looking for a fight or throw the first punch, but you can't let that little jerk push you around!"

Junior laughed meekly as his big sister chimed in.

"Yeah, he's always tryin' to get with me and stuff, it's really gross! Plus, he's not even close to being a hottie. If he thinks I'm gonna go do some dumb Halloween pranks with him this weekend, he's dreamin'! Besides, my party is gonna be the bomb! I can't miss it."

As Doc looked puzzled again by more futuristic slang, Marty Sr. reminded her of a few things. "Yeah, well, you know what to do. Mom's warned ya about how boys like him can be. Look, I swear, I think the Tannen family is cursed or something. You know how Aunt Linda always got bugged by Griff's mom, Stephanie? And, of course, his grandpa Biff ain't any better than any of them. I hated him, especially when I was a kid and he hung around our house all d*mn day!"

Marlene agreed with her dad. "Hey, don't worry. If that creep touches me, he's gonna get it."

"That's my girl," he said. "Now, you guys oughta get out there, today's gonna be your first ride in the hover-converted school bus! Man, I wish those were around in 1980 when I was your guys' age, that would've rocked."

"Yeah, see ya this afternoon, dad! B-bye, see you soon, Doc. Sorry I couldn't spend a little more time talking with you."

Coming out of his short silent spell (which he spent merely listening to how the younger generation talked), the scientist had his first word with Marty's children. "That's certainly alright, Marlene.  Go if you have to, I'm positive I'll see you at a later date."

"Front door. Open Sesame!" called MJ to the front door, as he rapidly walked forward and face first into the frame.

"Oh, geez! Hey, hey! I said 'Open'!" he yelled in as close to anger as he would ever show.

"Martin, you're such a goober! Voice commands don't work with the door yet! You gotta push in the plate like old times!" reminded his sister, as she followed close behind, quickly walking out of the house and down the driveway to their waiting bus.

Once the two old friends were alone in the house, they were both visibly relieved.

"The kids are great, but they sure are loud sometimes. Jennifer owns a beauty salon in town now, so she'll be out for awhile, too. We can talk about time travel without worrying about it. Do you want anything to drink, Doc?"

Still at the foot of the stairs, the time traveler moved toward the couch in the living room, one that looked to have a self-cleaning cushion. "Well, actually, if it doesn't trouble you any, I suppose I could use something."

Marty went to a still manual refrigerator – yet a large, more economical looking one – and soon headed back to the living room to join Emmett. "Hey, I always remember how you liked Perrier. I got a few cases of them at Safeway, think they might go out of circulation soon because people still hate French products ever since early this decade, the Iraq-" he immediately cut himself off midsentence. "No, sorry! Holy s**t, I didn't mean to say that, it's still in your future."

"Quite alright, Marty. I, myself, am barely getting accustomed to traveling to a different point in time," Doc said as he took a sip of the sparkling mineral water. Meanwhile, Marty sat on the couch and asked probably the simplest question on his mind.

"Speaking of time travel, what have you done here since you left '85?"

"When I departed near the mall, the area was built up. I traveled back through town and ultimately decided to stop at your former home in Lyon Estates. I presumed your family would still live there, Besides, I didn't know how this technology works, and I didn't want to venture into town and ask townsfolk unless absolutely necessary. I wasn't aware of my future self, if I would even still be alive."

"That makes sense, so is that when you called me?" asked Marty.

"Yes, and after I left your mother's residence, I hadn't had food in an extended period of time, so I decided to stop at a place called The Café 80's. I figured you'd get a laugh out of that – the you from 1985. After which, upon leaving I happened to see your father and Biff Tannen, but I slipped away in the DeLorean before Tannen could say anything much of the situation."

Listening intently, the younger man had to say his piece. "Biff was bugging him again? That figures. I feel so sad that dad just doesn't have any confidence and can't tell him to back off and live his own life. Ever since mom left him, I guess he's sort of got nothing else to do anyway."

"That's true. I must admit, when your mother gave me the information on her subsequent divorce from your father, I was more than a little surprised. She was almost a completely different person than I can recall. I spoke with her for awhile and she says you two get along much better now."

Lightening up, Marty reaffirmed this. "Yeah, it's crazy, huh? I know mom loves dad, but it's as if a weight was lifted off her when she broke it off with him. I tell you, I've found out more about her in the few months after dad moved out of my old place, than I ever did in that prior 26 years of my life. I never would've dreamed me and mom would finally have a good relationship, but I thank God we do. Dad and me get along better too, but I still tell him he should make something out of what's left of his life, but he says he's too old for it to matter anymore, so why bother?"

"Indeed a family portrait much better and worse at once," said the scientist, while changing the subject. "Now, I realize it's not wise to uncover too much about your own future. Heck, I've discovered much more in the last two hours than I may have wanted to. However, I must ask, for both of our safety once I get back, what became of the Libyan terrorists pursuing me?"

Marty's eyes widened in sudden confusion as he flinched. "Jesus Christ, that's right! Listen Doc, I don't know if I can tell you this clearly or not, but I really don't remember what happened, but it must've turned out okay if I'm here, and so are you. I mean 2010 you."

"You mean you have no recollection of the Libyans trying to shoot me as I fled in the DeLorean? You, looking for cover, ran and must've gone the opposite direction as I last could see. Surely you remember an event that notable," Doc wondered.

"Nah, I swear Doc, that part is a total blank in my memory. I just remember you showing me the time machine, and than going home the next day. You came back but I have no idea what you told me. I know how far fetched that's gonna sound, but maybe you understand time travel better than me. At least you from this year does," he said with a chuckle.

Doc jolted out of his sitting position and stood up with a shocked look on his face. "Great Scott! I believe I know why. Are you prepared to hear this? It might just shock you 10 times that extent."

"Yeah, I don't know how much more in the world can shock me," said Marty.

The best example I can relay this to would be Einstein. In fact, if you remember that, I don't believe my point will be nearly as confusing."

Marty curled his right hand into a fist and lightly hit himself on the head, as if trying hard as he could. "Err, kind of, I know you sent him a minute ahead, right. And he disappeared for that stretch, technically he lived one minute longer than he was gonna live otherwise."

"That's correct, Marty. He skipped over that minute and therefore didn't see his future self because the world went on without him for that minute."

"Yeah, that's not too hard to fathom, but, logically, shouldn't that have been the same in your case?"

"I'm not experienced enough in the matter yet to say anything concrete, but I believe it may lie in the probability of his returning. You see, why waste extra plutonium to return him merely a minute into the past? Now, if I sent him a year into the future, chances are my one year older self would've sent him back at that instant, so Einy would've in fact seen himself older."

Marty was trying to absorb all this. "OK, that makes some sense."

"I have a much more solid theory as for your memory lapse. If you travel into the future, yes, the world should theoretically go on without you. By this logic, I should've arrived in a version of 2010 where I'd been gone for 25 years and didn't have a 90 year-old Emmett Brown here."

After pausing for breath, he continued, deadly serious, and he had Marty's full attention "The reason your memory is unclear is because that part of the future is in flux at this moment. In other words, I'm here visiting you now, so I have yet to return to 1985 to tell your younger self about the details of my visit. So, therefore, how could you remember me telling you about it 25 years ago if the trip isn't even complete yet?"

"Man, this is interesting, but so weird, Doc. You're saying this last 25 years isn't even the real future? I bet this storyline could make a best-selling movie. So, anyway, what happens when you leave here, am I gonna get a different set of memories?"

"If my theory is correct, yes. However, I don't think you'll feel your memory changing, because you'll be replaced with the you who always remembered it, you'll become your other self, but to you it will have always been that way. Only someone out of their own time could witness any changes. When I leave, this should be the same future, just replaced with clear memories of telling you about my visit in 1985."

"I think I get it all, but before you lose me, we might wanna call it a day. Just be sure to tell me from 1985 that he'll turn out okay, but encourage him to do music as a career and not get s*cked into some boring office job at Cusco," he said as he got up and straightened up the coffee table a bit. He looked up at the flat screen TV mounted on the wall, laughing to himself.

**"Simpson. Homer Simpson. He's the greatest guy in history. From the town of Springfield, he's about to hit a chestnut tree. Waugh!"**

"Geez, Homer is great. The Simpsons was one of the longest running shows on TV before the series finale this May. You remember that show, don't you, Doc?"

The scientist looked somewhat amused, but more off guard. "What show, I've never seen animation quite like this before, although it seems like something you would like."

"It was on for 21 years, so I-" he paused "Jesus! It started in '89. That was when I went to the community college, that's still a little in your future! Sorry about that. I guess I still haven't gotten used to talking to talking to a time traveler from the past."

"I already found out quite a bit about 2010. Nothing to worry too much about, although I must admit, a part of me is curiosu about the future, even though I believe it can be dangerous to know too much. I do, however, admit to feeling a bit uneasy yet elated to find out I'll be married," he said with some concern. "If I know have knowledge of such an important event, maybe I won't quite react the same when it naturally comes around."

Marty had to agree. "Yeah, Jen obviously didn't know who you really were. Do you want to know the important stuff, just to insure you'll know who she is and where to be and all that?"

"I suppose it's literally too late to turn back now," Doc said with a teeny bit of humor.

"Alright. I guess I'll start at the beginning. Do you remember that teacher who died in the ravine in the late 19th century, the one me and my friends at school always used to joke about with teachers we didn't like? Apparently some of her relatives moved out here, and her sister's great-great-something granddaughter was one of my professors at school. Well, one day in the Spring of '88, my car broke down, so you drove me to one of my classes – the one with her, Miss Clayton."

"Clayton, as in Clayton Ravine? Unbelievable," pondered the older man.

"I know, huh? So anyway, I guess you weren't doing anything else that day, and I was having some trouble with my homework, so you came into class with me, sitting in the back. You guys kept looking at each other the whole time, too. After class, I introduced you two. The three of us talked for a bit, but I guess you both hit it off. Talk about love at first sight. I was a little jealous at first, but deep down I was happy for you. Needless to say, I passed **that** class with straight A's!"

"So this occurs in 1988. Do you remember the exact date?"

"Not really. I never was great with that, but I'm pretty sure it was March, maybe early in April. But, I knew her for three semesters, so if you forget it a couple years, I'm sure you guys will still meet if you take the younger me to school or something close to then."

"I suppose that's a wise decision. I certainly will have to not mention this to you from 1985. If your younger self discovers I'll meet a woman and get married before the incident is to take place, it could spark some unwanted consequences, at worse case a paradox from giving you information that now will never happen. But if it never happens, how could I tell you to stop it from happening? That points to a possible earth shattering paradox!"

Marty reflected on this. "Hey, I remember from when I was him. I think I'd just be glad you're alive, but, yeah, you know more about paradoxes, so your advice has gotta be right. Just also remember, you guys get married in the summer of 1990. You even let me and the band play our own version of 'Do You Believe in Love' as your theme song!"

"I must be the oldest man in history to find love at that age. I've had relationships in the past, but none that lasted more than a few months," he said, a bit saddened at his younger years.

"Don't feel bad. If those other ladies didn't like you for you, and didn't want to understand you, hey, that's their problem."

"You're right, Marty. Not everything can have a happy ending. Now, I probably should travel back to 1985 soon. Is is safe to immediately return? DO you remember anything about the aftermath of the Libyans pursuing me?"

"Not on that date, not until you go back or whatnot. But, afterwards, I remember they crashed. Their van toppled over into a ditch, it was all over the news. I don't normally wish that kind of thing on anyone, but it stood those b*st*rds right! They weren't killed, but were badly hurt. They got arrested for, well, I think they're still in jail, thankfully."

"Yes, I got a fairly large scare from that. I'll just have to return the next morning," he said, walking back toward the front door. "I truly should leave, but it was definitely a pleasure to meet you as well as your future family. A bit of an icebreaker as far as time travel is concerned."

"I'll confirm that! Well, I better get ready for work myself. Good luck in the future, Doc. Or should I say the past?"

"What an amazing coincidence, that's exactly what I would've said! Within 10 minutes, your memory should update. Let's hope I remember this date again clearly as it rolls around," the scientist said in reminisce, as he pushed the plate by the front door and it automatically opened.

"Goodbye Doc, and thank you for looking me up," Marty Sr. said, going into the living room area. He hoped for the best, and was certainly glad for this visit. Now a day at the paper printing plant would be really boring in comparison!


	7. Back in 1985

**I'm certainly enjoyed my visit to Marty, yet I'm more than a little relieved the shocks stopped coming in** thought Doc as he exited the McFly's future townhouse at 7:45 AM. Now, all he had to do was get in the DeLorean and return to 1985, hopefully this mission would be okay.

Opening the gull wing door and getting in, the scientist slowly began to digest all he had heard. **I must be very careful to never let on that Marty knows I will be married. If he presses for information, as I know the kid will, I must be secretive regarding myself.**

Seconds later, the DMC was turning out of a much busier Hilldale – one filled with people leaving for work or hanging out in their garages, at least. Doc was heading back east, towards downtown Hill Valley, ready to depart back to his own time. As he entered the expressway, he knew he had to be very careful on re-entry to 1985. True, that would be less dangerous than going to the future (due to knowing what would be in a certain area); however, knowing **who** would be there would be harder to predict. The last thing he'd want to do would be burst onto a busy road literally in the middle of traffic, or even in front of one car! The questions he'd have to deal with later weren't ones he was prepared to handle.

Now was the time to think about it. When he made the opposite trip, he had been very lucky, but than again, he hardly had any choice. It would definitely be strange going from now daylight hours to nighttime, but that was the only thing that made sense, as well as to do it from the same location. **Imagine how Marty or his family would react if I just blasted right onto his street the following morning!**

After passing an already busy Café 80's and Courthouse Square, he reached the edge of town near JFK Drive 5 or so miles past Hilldale. Just as he predicted, the apartment houses and the new skyway above were bustling compared to almost 2 hours prior.

**Marty recalls the Libyans being no longer a threat, so I shall return at the precise time I left, thus knowing where and when to temporally displace from. The previous time is still entered into the time circuits 'LAST TIME DEPARTED' display. October 26th, 1985, 1:38 AM.**

He recalled seeing the Gale-Canton Real Estate Agency at the exact point he arrived at, so he went about a mile past that, where the businesses stopped and there appeared to be only houses, before the busy road still went up into the hills.

Making a U-turn and quickly accelerating, he set the DESTINATION TIME for the same time, only a minute earlier. He knew not to disturb his past self (if his earlier self saw him, that could cause some problems, nevermind if the still okay Libyans were to see two Docs in two DeLoreans!). Punching in 1:37 AM, the scientist saw the road around him now was clear, so he held his breath and hit the gas, soon reaching 88, within half a mile.

October 26th, 1985.

1:37 AM.

Within a second, the rising sun in the blue, clear sky turned eerily black. It abruptly startled Doc, but luckily he knew right where he was, as he quickly reduced his speed and pulled over to the side of the not-yet-built-up road. In the distance, he heard a pair of fast cars, and, what sounded like gunshots.

**Great Scott! To think there's another me in one of those cars. It's a good thing he does not know I'm here, for that could disrupt the continuum. And to think I've gained all this knowledge in two hours just to be watching myself from an alternate angle! Unbelievable.**

Looking ahead very intently, he could faintly see a blue light picking up speed and vanishing into the air. Tires screeching diverted his attention away from that as the ugly VW van toppled over into a ditch. He was glad to see them out of commission, but somehow was relieved to hear they weren't killed.

In the otherwise quiet and serene night, Doc slid back into his DeLorean and normally drove past the Libyans' van. If Marty Sr. said they had survived, he gathered they must've gotten medical help in the 'original' timeline without his help, so he didn't mess with this, for fear of his own life, as well as the space-time continuum's!

Now that he had successfully traveled through time and back, he wondered if he should just return home and go to sleep. He would simply check on Marty the next morning. There would be plenty of time to talk. Besides, he knew Marty was a little unhappy since he couldn't go to the lake with Jennifer as planned, so he figured a morning visit might cheer him up. They had both had a long day after all.

A few minutes later, he casually slowed down to pull into the Burger King parking lot on JFK Drive. The fast food place was closed, but a few cars were still in the parking lot, as a couple tired looking employees came out, one of whom was locking the front doors up.

"Hey, it s**ks we didn't even get to watch the end of the World Series, don't you think, Dave?" said a young man of about 20 with a haircut that looked like A Flock of Seagulls combined with a Hair Metal band.

"Yeah! The customers told us the Royals beat the Cardinals, but that ain't the same," replied Marty's 22 year-old brother. "Why does Mr. Smith have to be such a jerk**f, anyway? Nobody's gonna get hurt if we've got one TV on. Oh well, mom would've given me cr*p about it even if I was at home."

"Whoa, if your uncle ain't visiting you guys this weekend, are your parents gonna care if I come over tomorrow?"

"I don't know, Ralph, you and my Dad get along, but you never can know with mom. Hey, you know she still don't want my brother going out with his girlfriend, and he's already 17 for God's sake, not 7! How stupid is that?" retorted David McFly. Just than, he turned around when something got his attention.

"Holy s**t! Doc Brown, when did you get that totally bodacious set of wheels there?"

Clearly unprepared and just wanting to get in and go to bed, he gave the easiest answer. "Dave, is that you? Oh, I suppose I've been a bit busy and forgot to tell you I, um, bought this used the other day with a very low mileage."

Dave, a car enthusiast, noticed something unusual on the dashboard.

"Did the guy before you have that display on the dash? That thing looks like a radar detector with a keypad or somethin'!"

Growing a bit uneasy, he told Marty's brother, "Oh, that's just something the previous owner had. It's just a strange number display, but I haven't seen a reason to dismantle it. It's unique enough, right?"

"You bet it is, Doc. Well, me and Ralph are gonna get going, but take care of the car, maybe I'll see you next time I work."

As Dave and his friend walked to another car to get in, Doc said a casual goodbye as he pulled around the side of his building. Especially seeing how much interest the time circuits were drawing, he was a little uneasy just putting the car out in plain sight, but he no longer had a garage he could easily get to. Stopping alongside his building near the back, he got out and securely locked the car, taking off his white overshirt - still filled with a tool belt and other accessories – and putting it over the time circuits.

Locking up and going into the front door in a typical Hawaiian shirt, he flicked on the light switch near his old jukebox.

"Well, it sure is good to be home," he said out loud. "After my close calls with – What in Edison's name happened here!" he shouted. The amplifier he had let Marty use looked burned out and destroyed, even though it was still standing. The other objects in the room also looked not quite as he had left them this morning. Although they were very neat – some even neater than he remembered, it looked 'cleaned up'.

He recalled telling Marty not to overload the amp this morning on the phone. Knowing his friend's slightly joking tone, he had a feeling Marty might've not been 100% telling the truth this morning. He assumed the incident might've already happened, seeing as he usually practiced on the amp in the morning before school. He knew Marty would be careful with his things, but also knew if the mistake was already made, he might not want to come right out and say it at the time. Earlier in the evening, the scientist was so excited about the time machine that he had simply run in to get the plutonium case and run out, not even remembering his video camera, so he just didn't notice it before.

Slowly walking over toward the living area of the converted garage/house, he shook his head and muttered aloud.

"D*mn! What did that kid do now?"

~~~

Marty McFly walked through the dark, nearly deserted suburban streets in town, carrying his skateboard as he turned right, heading into Lyon Estates at 2 AM. Within just one hour, his life had changed in more ways than he could've imagined in the strangest dreams.

He knew time travel existed. **Time travel** for crying out loud! **I wonder if I could go back to last week and get the winning lottery numbers, some of the guys are old enough to play** he thought, but stopped himself before the idea could continue.

**It looks like Doc got away from those b*st*rds, but I hope it stays that way. I don't know what he got himself into with those terrorists, just hope you know what you're doin', Doc! If you made it to 2010, I wonder what you know about me. I guess I'll find out soon enough.**

As he quietly started to make his way up the driveway, he realized for the moment, that all he wanted was to get back in bed for a nice rest, and praying his mom didn't notice him gone and give him h*ll upon returning. That rarely happened. He had successfully snuck out in the night many times before to meet up with Jennifer, Doc, friends from school or anything under the sun.

When he was 13, however, Lorraine had been up late and heard him sneaking out the window. She caught him before he could get past the driveway. Once they were inside, she'd yelled and berated him enough to frighten a hardened criminal. He'd learned to be careful since than. However, just as the house got within reach, a car came quickly racing into the driveway before almost screeching to a halt.

"Oh, s**t! I've had enough scares for one lifetime tonight, please don't let that be mom!" he said out loud.

"Heya, Ralph, see ya tomorrow, or at least next time I work."

From inside the car, Marty heard a faint, "Cool, Davy, take it easy." After a pause, the guy went, "Oh, hey Marty, what's up?"

Moving a little closer to the car, but keeping quiet, he went, "Yo, Ralph. A lot tonight, now I just gotta make sure mom doesn't notice me comin' back and throw a fit."

Dave's buddy agreed. "Yeah, I bet. See you both," Ralph said as he backed out of the driveway and took off.

"Hey Marty, where'd you go again?" his brother jokingly asked.

"It's a long story, Dave. I just went to go meet Doc at his place, he had to show me something."

"Doc, I just saw him as me & Ralph were leaving work. Did you get to see his tricked out DeLorean he got?"

Marty got a little suspicious and worried, yet he was glad to hear Doc was apparently okay. "Whoa, Dave, what time was this?"

"Oh, couldn't be more than 20 minutes ago. Why, is that close to when you were with him?"

"Well," Marty began, trying to think of something halfway honest to say. He really wasn't up for telling Dave about it, especially not tonight. And, there was no way he'd tell anybody about time travel! "Yeah, sort of. It was more like an hour ago. I've seen the DeLorean, but he had to go in a hurry and I just wondered if this was after that time. Glad to hear he's okay."

Apparently that was explanation enough for Marty's brother. "Yeah, he seemed a little tired, y'know, but he's fine. Now, mom expects me to come how at this hour, so you better sneak in now, than she won't notice any noise as much."

"You're right. I need to get some sleep," he said as Dave went in the front door and he opened the side door to cross the yard to the other side of the house where his bedroom was. As he got there, it slid open with no problem. He slowly put his skateboard, wheels up, on the windowsill and climbed in without incident.

Barely a second later, he crashed onto his bed, more glad than ever to get some sleep.

THE END. TO BE CONINUED WITH A SEQUEL.


End file.
